''Evidently, he must have put the dollar bill and the ticket in the envelope and must have forgotten to send it,'' Doster said. ''He may be 38 years late, but he does have a conscience.''

Attempts to contact Peacock via telephone Monday were unsuccessful.

The ticket was issued on March 16, 1965, for a meter violation on Clayton Street.

At that time, the fine was $1. And according to Doster, local parking regulations in effect in 1965 carried no penalty for late payment.

Today, the fine for a meter violation is $3. And if the fine is not paid within 30 days, it doubles. There are added penalties for letting multiple parking tickets go unpaid, including the possibility of ''booting'' a car belonging to someone with five unpaid parking tickets.

Doster, who has been with Downtown Parking Services since 1986, said this is the first time he's seen a long-delinquent parking ticket paid off.

The ticket and the dollar bill are now framed and sitting in Doster's office.